AmLaw 200 Survey

The AmLaw 200 survey results show a small but significant percentage of the second tier firms were in the “super rich” category.

When the Am Law 100 rankings came out in late April, the key takeaway was that the super rich were continuing to get richer. When it comes to the Am Law 200, flat performance is still very much the new up. There were some outstanding performances, though, and 20 firms out of the Second Hundred were designated as “super rich,” just like their Am Law 100 cousins.

The 2013 results showed:

Gross revenue: $19 billion, up by 2.6 percent (a new record).

Average revenue per lawyer: $626,784, up by 2.5 percent.

Average profits per equity partner: $701,310, up by 0.7 percent.

Focusing on the key metrics of RPL and PPP — which barely moved in 2013 — this is a relatively lackluster performance. Here’s Am Law’s summary of the latest Second Hundred rankings:

Only a year ago news about the Second Hundred—firms number 101 to 200 on The American Lawyer’s list of the nation’s top-grossing firms—focused on personnel growth. The firms were adding head count—partners and associates—and betting that there would be more work for more lawyers. A year later, it looks as though that gamble didn’t pay off across the board. Instead, a small set of firms scored positive financial results that belie their size. For many of the others, in 2013, flat results were the new success story.

The Am Law 200′s “hiring binge hangover” had lasting effects into 2013, and the year-over-year drops were astounding, with 36 firms posting dips in gross revenue, 47 firms cutting head count, 23 firms lagging behind in RPL, and 40 firms watching their PPP tumble. Many other firms in the Second Hundred posted increases of less than one percent in all of these categories. It wasn’t a good year for the Am Law 200.

Twenty firms in the Am Law Second Hundred outperformed their peers last year and actually landed amid the top 100 firms in terms of both profits per partner and revenue per lawyer. As with their higher-grossing counterparts, these firms reeled in a disproportionate share of 2013′s earnings. The gross revenue of the Second Hundred’s Super Rich grew by 4.6 percent; the rest of the lot saw their revenue grow by just 1.1 percent on average.

The Am Law 100, the differences between the Super Rich and Everyone Else were stark. While the top 20 firms grew their gross revenue by 4.6 percent, the rest grew by merely 1.1 percent. The top 20′s RPL increased by 4.7 percent, but everyone else gained just 0.8 percent. As for PPP, the top 20 Am Law 200 saw a boost of 3 percent on average, while their peers dropped by 0.8 percent ($5,149 a head).